Robinson Elementary School to Reopen Thursday

Posted: Wed 12:32 PM, Oct 10, 2012

BELOIT (WIFR) -- The School District of Beloit has received confirmation from an independent structural engineer that Robinson Elementary School is safe to reopen.

It was discovered yesterday that cracks began to form in the back gym wall as a result of a collapsing foundation. Contractors found this to be as the old building (built in the 1950’s) was built on sand without any rebar or solid material to fortify the foundation.

School was closed today for Robinson students until the wall could be reinforced and building reevaluated. The structural engineer, who has also been involved with several projects in the district, evaluated the entire building and confirmed the integrity of the building was sound.

Therefore, Robinson school will be reopened tomorrow (Thursday, October 11) to staff and students, including offering breakfast and lunch to students.

While the gym has been determined to be safe, district officials are planning to not use the area until it has been reconstructed (according to the referendum plan). According to CCI, the construction company in charge of the school renovations, this will take about a month.

During this time, there will be a portable classroom area set up just outside of the school, estimated to be set up sometime next week. For the next few days, students will have lunch in their classrooms and modified gym time. A team of district staff are working out the logistics to keep learning and routine disruptions down to a minimum.

An instant alert voice mail and email message were sent to Robinson families around Noon today, to let them know of the reopening.

Online Public Information File

Viewers with disabilities can get assistance accessing this station's FCC Public Inspection File by contacting the station with the information listed below. Questions or concerns relating to the accessibility of the FCC's online public file system should be directed to the FCC at 888-225-5322, 888-835-5322 (TTY), or fccinfo@fcc.gov.